My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,797, discloses a safety device for use with a firearm, such as a rifle, to restrict the movement of the firearm. That device permits a range of motions such that normal use of the firearm is permitted, but movement of the firearm into an orientation where it can be aimed at the user's head or torso is prevented. The device shown in that patent, however, requires the user to use at least one of his hands to carry the rifle.
There are many times when a user would like to carry a rifle safely without the use of his hands and yet to have the rifle available for immediate use. Devices that permit a user to carry a rifle without the use of the hands are known, but these devices are not safe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,185 (Moomaw) shows a gun sling that can hold a rifle on the front of a user when the sling is in a particular position. That position is not fixed, however, and the rifle can be easily moved to an unsafe position when the user bumps the rifle, as during a fall. U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,531 (Theis) shows a hook attached to the jacket of a user near the shoulder for supporting one end of a rifle. The other end of the rifle must be supported by a hand of the user, and the rifle would certainly be dislodged from the hook were the user to fall. U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,746 (Stumpf) shows a support for a rifle, but the rifle is held in a position that endangers those around the user.